Girl with the Braids in her Hair
by Alaina Downs
Summary: Modern AU- Katniss and Peeta meet while going to different colleges in Virginia. Each chapter refers to a season and a class year. Rated M for language, adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

Girl with the Braids in her Hair

Freshman Year: Autumn

Peeta leaned against the wall, raking his hand through his blonde hair before he reached down for the beer bottle that was resting on the table.

The frat house was packed, the music nothing more than a dull roar in his ears.

She was bent over the makeshift snack table. Her long dark hair was pulled back in two braids. He watched as one fell forward, grazing the strap of her green tank top.

Peeta sighed, taking one last swig before placing it back down on the table. He picked up the black tipped cane that was perched next to him, and slowly hobbled over.

His heart raced. He inadvertently licked his lips, running his tongue lightly over the quickly forming cracks. Peeta stopped, and gave a small smile to two girls who passed by.

She didn't move. Peeta swallowed, his eyes taking in her tanned skin; the small curves of her breasts, hips, and backside. He shook his head. _Down boy_, he cautioned, giving a glance towards his crotch.

He maneuvered around, and paused. She was humming. Peeta couldn't tell what it was, but it sounded sweet. Sweet, and sadly haunting. He swallowed again.

"Hey, Catnip."

Peeta jerked his head up. The boy who approached her was tall, dark haired, and almost as lanky as she was lean.

She smiled. "Damn you, Gale," she muttered. "I think you can probably leave that nickname behind."

Gale shook his head. "Why are you over here? I brought you to this party because you said that you wanted to have some fun this weekend."

"I…" Peeta watched as her cheeks flushed red. "I am having fun."

"Standing by the horrible snack table doesn't really look like fun to me." Gale took her arm. "Now, c'mon-"

"I don't know anybody here but you," she replied, cutting him off. "I don't go to this school." She looked around uncomfortably. "I feel like I'm underdressed too. The girls here…"

Gale sighed. "Everything is different. Look, this party is getting kind of old anyways. I talked to Thresh and he wanted to move it back to our apartment, a small thing."

Peeta saw her eyes light up. "Oh, really?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat.

"I mean…" Gale cocked his head, "unless you want me to drive you back to Charlottesville tonight."

"No." She gave him a small smile. "You're right. I needed to get out of my dorm room."

"Yes. Yes, you did. And…we can go in the woods tomorrow."

"You promise?" she asked hopefully.

"I promise. We'll have to sneak under some gates-"

She gently punched his arm. "You just don't want to climb the trees with me."

"Is that a dare…Catnip?" Gale teased. He faced her, walking backwards. "I can handle-"

Her eyes widened. "Gale, wait-"

Peeta startled, crashing to the floor. He dropped his cane, wincing as Gale collapsed down on top of him.

"Oh, shit." Gale scrambled to get up. "I'm sorry, man. I wasn't looking."

"Oh, no I…" Peeta pulled the edges of his plain white t-shirt down over his exposed stomach.

She knelt down next to him, and Peeta found himself looking into her eyes. They were gray, and soft, unblinking as she held her hand out. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Oh." Peeta nodded, shaking himself out of his revelry. "Yeah, yeah." He reddened as she grabbed his hand, pulling him up. His heartbeat quickened. Her fingers were small in his, slender but calloused. "I'm fine," he breathed out.

"Man, I'm so sorry," Gale said.

She smiled, her face pinked as she handed him his cane. Their fingers met again, and Peeta forced himself to exhale. "Sorry," she added.

"It's all right," Peeta murmured, his mind racing trying to think of something else to say.

She moved closer, one of her braids lightly grazing his arm. "Gale can sometimes…" She bit her lip. "He should watch where he's going."

"Ah-" Peeta was at a loss for words.

"Katniss? Katniss, are you coming?"

She looked up. "Yeah. Yeah, of course." She broke out in a full grin as she walked over to Gale. "Let's get outta here."

_Katniss_.

"Kat-" Peeta croaked, and watched them head out the door. He groaned, nearly falling again as he felt someone slap him on the back.

"Why aren't you drinking?"

He turned. His roommate was there, grinning at him wildly. Finnick snickered, his dimples showing. "I was drinking. I just took a break."

"Okay, well that was stupid, and I think you need to start again because…" Finnick paused. "Well, I just can't be alone in having a hangover tomorrow morning. That…and getting laid."

Peeta moaned. "Oh…yeah."

Finnick gasped, mockingly covering his open mouth with his hand. "What do you mean, 'oh…yeah?' As I recall, _you_ said that you wanted to come to this party because you wanted to fuck someone. Your words, man."

"Well…that's…I…"

Finnick grabbed his shoulders, swerving him around to where a group of four girls were gathered in the corner of the room. "Don't worry, I have done my duty. I have found some for you." He chuckled. "They go to an all girls college. They're freshmen, and…believe me, it's October and they're missing the dick already."

Peeta cried out in exasperation. "That is so-"

"Awesome. They're hot, and play up your prosthetic leg." Finnick pushed him over. "I think they'll do blow jobs too!"

**Author's Note: I'm jumping into the Hunger Games pond with this slightly short story as I take a break from editing. Hope you enjoy it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Girl with the Braids in her Hair

Freshman Year: Winter

Katniss shivered, reaching down to zip her jacket. Snow was lightly falling, the air still cold enough for it stick to the ground.

"I hate snow in February," she muttered. She looked over at the thin, short dark haired girl who was finishing up the quickly diminishing cigarette.

"It's still winter," Johanna pointed out.

"Doesn't mean that I'm not tired of it. I start looking for the green now, for dandelions, for anything...I need spring."

"Dandelions?" Johanna scoffed.

"It's something my dad said."

Johanna nodded, dropping the cigarette onto the ground. "Well, it's still winter which means we need to go in, have some hot chocolate, cheese buns...you name it."

Katniss stared at the bakery in front of them. "I'm not really hungry."

"Kat...no. No, what is the point of me having a father who is a multimillionaire logger company owner, whatever you want to call him, if I can't treat my best friend to the most amazing hot chocolate and cheese buns in the world?" Johanna linked her arm through Katniss'. "We deserve it."

"Cheese buns?" Katniss cocked her eyebrows skeptically.

"Yes. This bakery makes the best. Didn't you notice all of the sweets that I inhaled during finals? All of them were from here."

"No." Katniss grunted as Johanna led them inside. "I was too busy trying to pass my exams so I could keep my scholarship."

"Well, you passed. It's second semester, and I think we deserve a treat, plus, they have really good cinnamon buns here too."

Katniss inhaled. It smelled like fresh warm bread, cinnamon, and the sweet overtones of chocolate. There was a row of tables lined up next to the window, almost all of them full with college students and young families quietly talking. There were some pink and red flowers set up, and small hearts dotted the wall, reminding Katniss that Valentine's Day was soon approaching.

"It looks like we missed the late morning rush." Johanna leaned over the counter. "I don't see anybody."

"I'm sure they'll be right out."

"There's a bell. I'll just-"

The side door banged open. Peeta walked in, lugging a one hundred pound bag of flour over his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I'll be right back," he called out to them before making his way to the kitchens. "I promise!"

Johanna raised her eyebrows and grinned. "I wouldn't mind being that sack of flour that he's carrying about."

Katniss shook her head, and turned her attention to the row of cinnamon buns that were behind the glass.

Peeta wiped the excess flour on his jeans, and pushed the door open with his hip. He froze. Katniss was on the other side of the counter. He blinked, shaking his head. "Katniss," he murmured.

She looked up, confusion visible on her face. "Yes?"

"Oh." Johanna's eyes darted between the two of them. "Oh, y'all know each other?"

Katniss shook her head. "No."

"Yes." Peeta chuckled self consciously. "I mean, we ran into each other at a party at Tech last fall. It wasn't-"

"Oh!" Katniss' eyes widened in recognition. "But, where's your cane? I thought..." She blushed. "Oh, god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Cane? What's she talking about?" Johanna asked.

"Oh, I..." Peeta patted his left leg. "It's fake. I sometimes need a cane when I've been on my feet for too long. I'll probably need it after today."

"Oh. How did you lose your leg?"

"Johanna!" Katniss gritted out.

Peeta glanced at her. "No, it's okay. I was in a car accident my senior year of high school. I got pinned under the car, and...you can guess the rest."

"I'm sorry," Katniss blurted out.

He smiled. "No, really, I'm okay. So, what can I get y'all?"

"Two hot chocolates, two cinnamon buns, and two cheese buns." Johanna grinned. "Katniss here doesn't believe me about the cheese buns here."

"Ah." Peeta nodded. "You know, I have a fresh batch of cheese buns that need to be taken out. Do you want to wait for them?"

"The hotter the better," Johanna replied. She slapped the money down on the counter. "We'll be at the table in the corner. C'mon, Kat." She dragged Katniss roughly enough that Katniss nearly tripped over the edge of her boots.

Peeta stumbled back into the kitchen, breathing heavily as he tried to slow his heartbeat.

"What's wrong?"

Peeta whipped his head up. "Oh. Nothing, Dad. I just...I was going to take out the cheese buns."

"Okay." His father stared at him for a moment before turning his attention back to the dough that was rolled out on the work table.

"Oh, and actually...could you maybe, um, take over the register for a bit?"

"Peeta!"

* * *

"So, who's bread boy? What's his name?" Johanna whispered.

"The guy?" Katniss nodded over at the counter. "I don't know! I remember him now. I was at a frat party at Tech with Gale, and Gale literally crashed into the poor guy, knocked his cane over. I felt so bad for him and Gale was being..." she rolled her eyes.

"Well, one leg or not, I'd do bread boy."

Katniss shook her head.

Johanna bit her lip. "I didn't want to ask you, but...have you even seen or talked to Gale since...you know, that whole incident?"

"Oh, you mean since I found out that he was seeing and sleeping with Madge the same time as me at Christmas break?" Katniss' eyes darkened. "No. He's tried to call me, e-mail me, but I just haven't responded to anything and I haven't been back to Tech since December. It was hard enough seeing him at home."

"Good." Johanna nodded, satisfied. "Maybe then you can hook up with bread boy here."

"Jo!"

"I'll do it if you won't. He has one leg, _and_ he can lift that huge bag of flour. Boy must have skills."

Peeta carefully placed their tray on the table. He set the hot chocolates in front of them, and plated the cinnamon and cheese buns.

"Bread boy...sit," Johanna ordered, pulling out the extra chair.

He smirked. "Bread boy?"

"I don't know your name. You work in a bakery, thus, I'm calling you bread boy."

Peeta nodded, smiling as he joined them. "Peeta. My name is Peeta."

"Peeta," Johanna repeated. "You work with bread, and your name is Peeta. That's, like...a sign or something."

"Well, my parents own this bakery, so..."

"Oh!" Katniss exclaimed. She blushed, and focused on the cheese bun.

"I come home sometimes on the weekend from Blacksburg. I help them out when my older brothers can't...or won't. I think I enjoy it more than they do." He swallowed nervously. "So, you two go to UVA?"

"Yeah, yes. I am Katniss' amazing roommate. I'm from the west, so this is all new to me," Johanna replied.

"And, how's your boyfriend?" he asked, turning his attention to Katniss.

She glanced up. "What boyfriend?"

"Oh, the...the...the guy at the party. The one who-" he stuttered.

"Oh, him," Johanna cut him off. "Katniss is done with Gale. Gale was just taking advantage of their friendship anyways."

Peeta gave Katniss a small smile. "Oh. I...I think I understand."

"Well, moving on!" Johanna clapped her hands. "Peeta, what are your plans for tonight? Are you going back to Tech?"

"No. I actually was planning to stay here till Sunday night. I was thinking about driving into Richmond and seeing some friends from VCU."

"No, I have a much better plan." Johanna grinned. "You need to come out with me and Katniss tonight. One of our friends is having a little party at her apartment, and there's going to be drinks and um, you know, stuff might-"

"You don't have to come," Katniss quickly told him.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Peeta?" Johanna asked.

"I...no. I dated a girl from Sweet Briar, but it ended last month."

"Perfect! Look, Valentine's Day is coming up, and I think if you met someone tonight...that might mean you'll spend Valentine's Day fucking, instead of being all lonely."

"I-I...well, I mean," he stammered.

Johanna grabbed a pen from her purse and scribbled out something on the napkin. "This is the address of our dorm and room number. Be there at eight."

Peeta looked at Katniss. "Are you going?"

"Yes. Jo thinks I don't get out enough, so whenever she gets a chance, she makes me."

"Well, if you'll be there...I'll come," he told her. He smiled as he watched Katniss' cheeks turn red. "I have to go. I have to...I have to put some more things in the oven. How do you like the cheese buns?"

"I didn't know that cheese buns could be this good. They're amazing," Katniss replied.

"I'm glad." He stood up, and pushed the chair back in. "I made them myself."

Johanna gaped. "Seriously, Katniss, you need to go for that or I may not be able to stop myself from having a one night stand with him."

* * *

Peeta paused at the beginning of the hallway. The napkin was half soaked by his sweat, causing the words to run together. He adjusted the collar of his black leather jacket, and pulled the edges down over his plain white t-shirt before he walked towards their door. He swallowed, knocking lightly, and exhaled as Katniss opened it.

"Hey," he whispered. He let his eyes traverse over her body. She was wearing a tight black tank top, skinny jeans, and worn out thigh high boots. Her hair was done in a braid that rest over her shoulder, the tip perfectly aligned with her breast.

"You showed up," she said, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Are you surprised?"

"I don't know, I...I know how Jo can be. I didn't think that you would have been really interested in coming." She opened the door wider to let him in.

"Here." He handed her a small bag. "For you."

"What is it?"

"Cheese buns. I made you another batch."

Katniss smiled, and her cheeks were tinged with pink. "Thank you. Really." She peered in, gently inhaling. "They smell amazing." She opened the mini fridge that was next to the television and tightly wrapped the bag up before placing them in.

"Is that Peeta I hear?!" Johanna exclaimed from inside the closet.

"Yes. Yes, you were right. He did show up," Katniss replied.

Johanna came bumbling out. "Peeta! I'm so glad you're here. I need a man's opinion of something. What do you think of my shirt?" She spun around, showing off every inch of the tight red corset. "You like?"

"It's, ahem, it's very nice," Peeta croaked.

"Well, I do have another option." Johanna unsnapped the back of the corset, letting it drop to the floor, leaving her topless. She reached for a black top, and turned around to face him. "I have this one as well. It's backless."

Katniss reddened, and focused on looking through her purse.

"Oh, um, either shirt...either shirt would be fine," Peeta managed to get out, internally cursing himself as he felt his pants tighten.

"Okay." Johanna momentarily pressed against him, before slipping the black shirt on. "I was trying to convince Katniss to wear this one because I think she has good boobs. Don't you think so, Peeta? Don't you think Katniss has good boobs?"

"JO!" Katniss exclaimed. She pulled her leather jacket on. "We need to go. Get your coat on."

_Stop thinking about Katniss' boobs_, Peeta mentally chided himself. _Stop thinking about what Johanna's boobs look like too. Stop_.

He cleared his throat. "I can take us. My car is parked right in front of your dorm."

"Oh, good." Johanna made an exaggerated wipe of her brow. "I was planning to drink a lot tonight, so..."

They headed down the stairs and out to the parking lot. Peeta unlocked his red sedan, and Johanna slid in the front next to him. "Oh, my god!" she screeched, picking up his cane that was resting on the seat. "This is awesome! You should totally pimpify this up!"

Peeta peered at Katniss through the rear view mirror, and gave her a small smile. "So...where are we going?"

* * *

Jo straddled the tall blonde on the couch, moaning loudly as their tongues darted in and out of each others mouths.

Katniss was flushed, her skin red from dancing with some of the girls from her psychology class. She laughed, and looked at at the balcony. Peeta was standing there, a small drink in his hand as the snow fell around him.

She grabbed her jacket and pulled the glass door open. "What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Oh, I..." he smiled at her, "I wanted to watch the snow fall."

Katniss stood next to him. "It is really pretty." She chuckled wryly. "I wanted to apologize for earlier, for Jo and for Jo taking her clothes off like that."

"Well, I would be wrong if I said I minded seeing them. You know, her boobs," Peeta replied.

"Of course not." Katniss nodded. "What about me?" she asked, the drinks she had earlier in the evening prodding her forward. "Should I flash you mine too for one more set tonight?"

"I..." He breathed out. "I wouldn't mind."

Katniss blushed, shaking her head furiously. "I don't think I'm drunk enough for that. I don't think I would ever be."

Peeta finished off the rest of his beer. "Too bad."

"Maybe if I did a lot of shots or something."

"Where are you from, Katniss?" he asked, the mood suddenly shifting.

"Panem. It's...it's a small town along the border of Kentucky and West Virginia. There's nothing there really."

"I've never heard of it."

"Yeah, it's really small. Gale's from there too. I've known him...my whole life." Katniss looked out at the lights. "My dad died when I was eleven. Gale's dad died too, they were miners and...they got stuck with about thirty others when it collapsed."

"Oh. Oh, god I'm so sorry," Peeta said softly.

"My mom's a nurse and she got a settlement from the mining company. It was made into a big thing, the president of the company, Mr. Snow came and presented us with a check and Gale's mom got one too, and..." Katniss played with the end of her braid. "So, she and Hazelle, that's Gale's mom, they bought this duplex together so that way there would always be someone to watch us kids. Me and my younger sister, Gale and his siblings..."

"Oh, so...you and Gale?" he asked hesitantly.

Katniss laughed. "It's always been me and Gale. He and I would go out to the woods on Sundays and hunt, and get some extra food for us and our neighbors. He always said that I only smiled in the woods." She looked at Peeta. "He was wrong."

"You hunted?"

"I have skills with a bow and arrow. I never really liked guns, so...Gale did, and he set the traps and we just worked well together...until we didn't."

"Give me your number," he blurted out.

"What?" Katniss grinned.

"Your phone number, your e-mail...anything." He scrambled around in his jacket pocket for a pen and paper.

"I don't have a cell phone. I can't afford it, but," she scribbled on the paper, "here's my e-mail and my phone number for my dorm room." Katniss handed it back to him. "I'm not good on the phone though. I never know what to say."

"You weren't like any other teenage girl talking on the phone?" Peeta teased.

"I'm not very good at making friends," she said quietly.

Peeta nodded, and glanced back towards the apartment. "Um, I think we should probably check on Jo."

"Why? Wha..." Katniss groaned. "Not again."

Johanna was in the process of taking all her clothes off, dancing around the furniture. Katniss ran in, yanking Johanna's shirt back down. "I think we need to go home now, and get you settled down."

"KATNISS!" Johanna screamed, wrapping her arms around her. "You are amazing. I am so glad I met you. _You_ are my family, Kat. I don't have anybody else who cares about me like you do. My family doesn't care."

"That's not true, Jo," Katniss whispered. "You're not alone."

"But, I am." Johanna looked into Katniss' eyes. "I'm alone without you." She glanced over at Peeta, waiting. "And, bread boy! Oh, I love the bread boy!" She scampered over and began to grind herself against his crotch. "I wonder just how big your...baguette is." Johanna burst out giggling.

"Okay." Peeta bent down, lifting her till she was slung over his shoulder. "Got everything?" he asked Katniss.

She held up their bags. "Yep."

"Katniss, I think Peeta is like a cave man!" Johanna exclaimed. "Big, hunky southern cave man. A little short though...why are you short, Peeta?"

He unlocked the car, and gently placed her in. "Just lucky I guess."

"I'm going to sit next to her, just in case," Katniss muttered, rolling all the windows down.

They drove in silence for a few minutes. "Kat...Kat..." Johanna whimpered.

"What? What's wrong?" Katniss asked.

"Oh, I'm going to be sick."

"Oh, god." Katniss pushed Johanna forward till her head was hanging out of the window. "Don't get sick in Peeta's car!"

Peeta winced as he heard her vomit. "Is she okay?"

"Well, at least she didn't throw up in your car," Katniss groaned.

He quickly found a parking space, and opened the door for them. "Do you need help?"

"No. I've witnessed a lot of stuff with people coming to see my mother like this, and I've been through this before with Johanna. There's nothing you can do." She smiled. "Thank you, though. I had fun. I mean, I didn't flash you or anything-"

"There's always next time," he finished. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to throw her down onto a bed, and feel her under him, or see her on top of him. His leg ached, and he grimaced as he hobbled back to the car.

"Goodnight, Peeta!" Katniss called out.

He waved, and flashed her a grin. "Goodnight."

* * *

Peeta grunted, fastening the prosthetic on before reaching for his cane. His thigh muscles were sore, and he eagerly sighed in relief as he settled down on his computer chair. The leather jacket from the night before was draped over, and he rummaged through the pockets looking for the slip of paper with Katniss' email address.

"Shit," he muttered. Peeta grasped a loose slip of paper, the smile fading as he saw the smudged letters. "Oh, shit. Oh, fucking hell...fuck. Fuck!"

**A/N: Yeah, that was pretty horrible of me...wasn't it? But there was a bit of flirting and what not...right? ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

The Girl with the Braids in her Hair

Freshman Year: Spring

Peeta nodded along to the music, and grinned over at Finnick who was heading their way with some beers. They were at a club in downtown Roanoke that being rented out for the night by one of the local girls colleges. Peeta didn't want to go, and only got persuaded after Finnick showed him some pictures of the girls who were running it.

He leaned on his cane, exhaling momentarily as the pressure on his hips lessened. "You're really playing the whole cane thing up tonight," Finnick remarked, thrusting the beer into his waiting hand.

"I'm not playing up anything. I really-"

"That's so going to ramp up the pity fuck chances tonight for you," Finnick finished.

"No, I really need it tonight. I lifted too many bags of flour today, and now I can barely walk without it," Peeta replied. He shook his head. "You never really told me about how you knew about this party anyways."

Finnick smiled, and took a swig. "I met someone. She goes to the school that's hosting it, and..." he chuckled, "well, I'm in love."

Peeta raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked skeptically.

"Really." Finnick looked at him. "Her name is Annie. I met her at this cafe last weekend in Roanoke. She was with a group of girls, and she was so quiet, you know? I had to get to know her." He shrugged. "We spent the whole night talking. She crept up on me."

"Oh." Peeta couldn't think of anything else to say. He peered around. "Well, where is she then?"

"I don't know. I have to find her. She said that she was going to be here." Finnick laughed. "I have a good idea. We should go and do some jello shots!"

"Jello shots? But, you just got us the beers!"

"You know what goes great with beer? Jello shots."

"I don't...I don't think that's true," Peeta muttered, following Finnick over to the bar.

The bar was set up with a long line of shots, all of them different flavors, and ranging in colors from a deep red to a surprising light pink. They set their beers down and picked up a shot. "At least these get you drunk quicker," Finnick commented. He tapped his cup against Peeta's and they both finished theirs off.

Peeta groaned. "I don't think I liked that flavor."

"Oh, stop. We also need to find this girl on fire."

"What?" Peeta quickly took a drink of his beer to offset the horrible taste of the jello shot. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard that there's a girl here whose dress looks like it's catching fire when she dances. Now, if that's true...I gotta see this thing."

Peeta snorted. "You're being silly. It probably only looks like it's on fire because everybody here is drunk."

Finnick grabbed another shot. "That may be so, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to see it." He sighed out in pleasure. "All right, man, c'mon let's go-"

"Wait." Peeta turned around, pausing as he saw Johanna staring at him. "Oh, my-"

"BREAD BOY!" Johanna shrieked, loud enough for people to glance their way.

Peeta yelped, falling down to the ground as Johanna attacked him. "Shit."

"So..." Finnick eyed them both. "I assume you know this person."

"Er, yeah." Peeta grunted as he stood back up. "This is Johanna. Johanna, Finnick."

"Yeah, hi," Johanna muttered. She placed her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes at Peeta. "You never called or e-mailed Katniss."

"Oh, I wanted to. You have no idea," he stuttered. "I found the paper she gave me but all the words were smudged. I think it was from the fucking snow soaking through my jacket."

Johanna laughed mirthlessly. "Are you fucking kidding me? If you really wanted to see her then you should've done more! I mean Katniss was so excited and-"

"Oh, you have no idea," Peeta repeated. "I did so much more, I tried to look her up-"

Finnick elbowed him in the ribs. "See? I wasn't bullshitting you. That girl's dress does look like it's on fire."

"What?" Peeta swerved around. Katniss was dancing, the bottom of her dress spinning out, looking like makeshift flames. Her dark hair was pulled back into an intricate braid, wavy strands framing her face. "Katniss," he murmured.

"What?" Finnick laughed. "_That's_ Katniss? The girl you were talking about? Oh, man...good luck getting her attention. Every guy in this place is looking at her."

Johanna chuckled. "Why don't you try to be the boy on fire, Peeta? No, wait...Katniss is the girl on fire, and you're the boy with the bread." She snickered. "Fire and bread...that makes toast!" She giggled uncontrollably. "TOAST!"

Finnick cocked his eyebrows. "And...how much have you had to drink?"

"Maybe a bit too much," she quickly deadpanned.

Katniss stopped dancing, her face was flushed as she smiled before heading over to the bar. "I'm going to go talk to her," Peeta announced.

"Really?" Johanna shook her head. "Good luck. Katniss was _not_ happy."

Peeta's hand whitened as he gripped his cane, and his heart raced as he walked over to her. He swallowed, lightly touching her on her bare arm before he said, "Hi."

Katniss turned around, her eyes widening. "Peeta. What are you doing here?" She swerved back towards the bar. "Why are you talking to me? I never heard from you." Katniss inhaled the jello shot.

"Yeah, that...that was me. I lost your information. I really like you, and I never meant-"

She growled, rushing him till her face was directly in his. "Are you fucking kidding me? I don't hear anything from you, you don't talk to me, and now you're here...telling me that you _like_ me?!"

Peeta's jaw clenched, and he breathed in her light perfume, his heart beating louder than he ever thought possible. "I-I didn't mean-"

She looked around, grabbing her purse off the table. "Do you want to go outside with me?" she asked quietly.

He nodded, not giving a second look at Finnick and Johanna before he silently followed Katniss out of the club.

"Is your car here? I mean, I came here with Johanna so I don't exactly have wheels," Katniss muttered.

"Yeah. Yeah, I mean Finnick and I took separate cars just in case either one of us..." he reddened, "hooked up."

She rolled her eyes. "Can you drive us to this field nearby?"

"What?" Peeta looked at her skeptically. "A field? I know that you're a hunter-"

"No, I'm not asking you to take me to a field so I can kill you," she said. "I just...I do my best thinking outside." Katniss looked down at the cane. "Why do you have that with you?"

"I did a lot of lifting at the bakery." He nodded down the street. "My car's down there."

She nodded. "Thanks." They walked down the street, Peeta careful to step over the cracked pavement. Katniss waited till he unlocked the doors, and she slid in the passenger seat. "Just go straight till you hit the hill. Go over it, and you'll see the field to the right."

He nodded, giving her one more glance before starting off. Peeta licked his lips, trying to think of something to say, but clamping his mouth shut every time he could feel his voice start to crack.

"It's just a little bit further." Katniss gave him a quick smile, and pulled down the bottom of her dress so that it covered her thighs.

Peeta could make out the lights that lined the small dirt runoff that served as the parking lot, and pulled in. "This it?"

Katniss nodded, leaving her purse on the front seat before opening the door. Her black heels sunk in the mud, and she found herself wishing for her boots instead of the "fuck me" heels that Johanna insisted on her wearing.

Peeta was clomping behind her, each step he took was loud and echoey. She laughed. "Remind me to never take you hunting. You make _way_ too much noise when you walk."

He smiled. "I would scare away the animals, right?"

"Big time." Katniss plopped down on the grass, and stared out at the outline of the mountains. "I have trouble making friends," she said, as soon as he settled next to her. She looked at him. "Part of me was afraid because...I kind of let my guard down."

"The snow seeped through my jacket. It ruined the note," Peeta said.

"Oh."

"I checked online," he quickly continued, "I saw your name in the online campus directory, but you made all of your information private. I just...I saw your name. I looked up Johanna's name too, but there were so many Johannas, I didn't know which one she was."

"Mason."

"Oh." Peeta nodded. "I drove around the campus too, but since I didn't have the napkin that Johanna gave me...all the buildings looked the same."

Katniss smiled. "They do. You have no idea how easily I got confused the first month I was at school."

"I kept hoping Johanna would come back in the bakery when I was working and-"

"I almost went in the bakery a couple of times," Katniss interrupted. "Some weekends, I thought-"

"Why didn't you?!"

"I didn't hear from you. I figured...you didn't want to see me, that you were just being nice that night and you didn't really want to call me or anything."

"I did! That, and so much more."

They both blushed, averting one another's gaze. Katniss bent down, and plucked a dandelion from a small patch. "Do you remember that big snowstorm that hit us when were, like, eight or so?"

"I remember there was one time when we didn't have power for almost a week," he replied.

"Yeah. My dad was injured that winter, something on the job and they refused to pay his hospital bills. My mom worked, but everything was going towards that and the rent...and there was barely any food for us, my sister." Katniss twirled the dandelion between her fingers. "Dad told me about the dandelions and...once we saw one, it meant that spring was coming, and there was finally going to be something good in spite of everything going bad."

He watched her. "Was everything good later?"

"Yes." Katniss let the dandelion fall, and laughed awkwardly. "I don't even know your last name."

"Mellark." Peeta grinned. "Like the name on the bakery."

"Oh." Her cheeks tinged pink. "Right. Yes, I didn't even think about that. Mine is Ev-"

"Everdeen," he finished. "I saw it online."

"Right." She laughed. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Mr. Mellark," she said in mock seriousness, holding out her hand.

"And it's nice to meet you too, Miss Everdeen." Peeta smiled, shaking her hand.

They stilled, and Katniss leaned forward, kissing him on the lips. Peeta moaned, his lips on fire as Katniss wrapped her arms around him. Her tongue worked to prod his mouth open, and they both whimpered as their tongues merged.

Peeta's hands found her arms, and he traveled down, gently reaching to eagerly cup her backside.

"Not yet," Katniss whispered, breaking off the kiss.

He panted in her mouth. "I can just kiss you."

"Okay," she murmured. Her eyes closed once more as they started to kiss again. Peeta's jaw and neck flushed red; hot from just feeling Katniss next to him.

She pushed him down, and settled on top of him, her hair spilling out of its braid. "Can I touch you now?" Peeta grunted, his pants tightening uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure." Katniss was breathing heavily as she rest on top of him. "I don't think I'll be able to stop. I've had too much to drink. And I don't think I want to stop." She gave him one more kiss before sliding off him.

He groaned as her body made contact with his erection. Peeta jerked his hips up, searching for more. Katniss giggled, and lay down next to him.

"So, what do you want to do then?" he asked.

"Can we just lie here for a while?" Katniss snuggled up so her head was under the crook of his shoulder. "I feel like I'm spinning. My head is spinning a bit."

He looked down at her. _My heart is spinning_.

* * *

"This is my favorite color," Peeta murmured in her ear.

"Mmmmm, what?" she murmured.

"Open your eyes." He smiled as she looked at the sunrise from in between the mountain ridges.

"Orange is your favorite color?" Katniss asked softly.

"Orange like the sunrise, the sunset. If I could paint it exactly like this...I would."

Katniss turned to face him, resting her head on his chest. "Are you a painter?"

"I try," Peeta replied huskily, trying to stop his heart from speeding up. "I'm majoring in studio art, so I do a bit of each medium. Now I mostly use it for decorating the cakes at the bakery."

"Wow. I would love to see some of your stuff." She blushed. "I mean, I'm majoring in biology. I'm jealous of those who can use that side of their brain like that."

"I would like to show them to you," he offered.

Katniss snickered. "So, how many girls have you 'shown your paintings to'?" she asked, using air quotes for emphasis.

Peeta hesitated. "Five."

"Five." Katniss let the number settle in. "You mean, five this school year?"

"Well, yes, but one of the girls was actually in my class with me." Peeta winced and closed his eyes. "I mean-"

She shook her head. "No, I...I meant paintings...I think. Okay, I'm a bit embarrassed and I don't know why."

Peeta licked his lips. "You're the only one that I want to see everything."

Katniss sat up. "You must say that to all the girls," she remarked, the comment coming out rougher than she meant. "I need to go back. I have to find Jo. I don't have a cell phone, and she probably left-"

"I can drive you back to Charlottesville if you want," he offered.

"Oh, no I couldn't..." Katniss hesitated. "I don't know. If you're sure."

"Yeah."

She pushed herself off the ground, and placed her hands on her hips as she looked back at the sunrise. "Thank you," she said softly.

Peeta gasped. Katniss was standing, the sunrise in front of her, her dress tight in all the right places and the colors blended. Her braid was messy, her thick hair falling out in waves along her bare back. "You're...you're beautiful. No wonder they called you the girl on fire," he said thickly.

"No. I feel so awkward in this dress. Johanna made me wear it. I feel like I'm pretending." Katniss winced, stumbling in her heels as she started to walk back to where his car was parked.

"Oh, god," Peeta muttered. "Wow..."

* * *

They drove in near silence for the next hour and half with only short questions asked about the radio stations, and if they should stop by Hardees to pick up breakfast.

Peeta pulled into the main campus, and stopped at the stop sign. "Where do you want me to take you?" he asked.

"Oh, just...just pull into that parking lot," she said, gesturing straight ahead. "Thank you for driving me back, and for...well, I had a good sleep."

"Me too." Peeta smiled. "It would have been nice in a bed though."

"Oh." Katniss pinked. "You were comfortable enough. Your shirt was nice and soft." She reached out to lightly touch his white t-shirt. "Can I see your phone for a second?"

Peeta furrowed his brow, taking his phone out of his pocket. "Sure."

"There's only three more weeks left in school for me, but...I would like to see your...paintings sometime." Katniss entered in some letters and numbers. "It's my email, and my dorm phone number. Maybe I'll be lucky this summer and get a cell phone. But...maybe this summer?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I want to go in with you right now."

"Maybe sometime."

Katniss was about to open the door when Peeta grabbed her arm. "I won't be back to Charlottesville till school's done...finals. Um..."

"Send me pictures. Send me pictures of the cheese buns you make." Katniss pursed her lips before breaking out into a grin. She exited the car, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

**A/N: okay, so there was a bit of something happening there, getting a little closer for the two of them. What will happen next?! I don't know, I have an idea, but any others...send them my way! Thank you everybody who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story! 3 thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

The Girl with the Braids in her Hair

Sophomore Year: Summer Part One

Katniss leaned against the railing of her front porch, twirling the ends of her braid between her fingers. She paced, staring out at the long winding dirt road that served as their makeshift driveway. Katniss bit her tongue, and glanced down once more at her watch.

She heard the door next to her slam shut, and she watched as Gale stepped out from his side of the duplex. "What are you doing, Catnip?" he asked, quickly texting something on his phone before looking up at her.

"Nothing," she said curtly. "Just...you know, waiting for someone."

"Oh." Gale grinned at her. "Is it that guy that you've been e-mailing for the past two months?"

"What if it is?" Katniss crossed her arms over her chest. "Why do you even care?"

"I don't. You..." He sighed. "I hate this."

She furrowed her brow. "Hate what?"

"I just wish that things could go back to how they used to be. I mean, every Sunday since we've been back home I thought about asking you to go hunting with me. You know, how we always went hunting on Sundays."

Katniss perched on the railing, swinging her legs over. "I don't..." she blinked. She looked down to where he carried a bag in his hand. "Where are you going?"

"Just going to spend the weekend at Madge's. Big Fourth of July celebration happening where she is."

Katniss nodded. "Yeah. Um...yeah." She chuckled wryly. "We made a mistake. We never should've hooked up once college began. I mean..."

"Catnip..."

"We ruined it," she finished. "We ruined our friendship."

"Catnip," Gale said again, this time softer.

"Stop calling me that," she gritted out. She looked up, hearing the noise of rocks crushing underneath tires. "Peeta..."

Gale walked over to her, his eyes squinting against the sun as he watched Peeta drive his sedan next to his truck. "Is he staying here?"

"No." Katniss shook her head. "He got a hotel room."

"Oh." Gale's eyes bore into hers. "Are you going to stay with him?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I mean...I was thinking about it. What of it?"

"You should. I mean, you deserve to go out and have fun...enjoy yourself."

"I..."

Peeta shut the car door, breathing heavily as he headed over to the porch. "Katniss," he called out.

Katniss' stomach lurched, and she nearly tripped as she jumped over the last porch step. "Peeta."

Their arms nearly touched, and Peeta licked his lips, about to reach her when Gale spoke up. "Hey, I'm Gale."

"Oh, I..." Peeta stuttered, flushing pink. "Peeta."

"Katniss told me that you were coming. Where are you staying?"

"Oh, ah. I got a room at the Inn at Appalachia," Peeta replied.

Gale's eyes widened, and he whistled. "Wow. Damn. Well, if you're going to stay there then you better be ready to show our Catnip a good time."

"Gale..." Katniss muttered, playing with her braid again.

"Right." Gale gave her a weak smile, and pat her lightly on the back before he headed over to his truck.

Peeta sighed, his eyes drinking her in as he waited for Gale to turn out. Her hair was in her familiar braid that hung over her shoulder, and she was clad in a white tank top and a pair of dark denim shorts. He exhaled. "Katniss..."

She flung herself at him, surprising herself as she pressed her lips to his. She felt the familiar rush envelope her, and she panted, opening her mouth to allow his tongue to merge with hers.

"I missed you," Peeta whispered once they pulled away.

"I-" Katniss was about to reply when she heard the front door open.

"Hey." Peeta glanced over her shoulder, and watched as a young teen girl with long blonde hair almost skip over to them.

Katniss smiled. "Peeta, this is Prim. My sister" She wrapped her arms around the younger girl, giving her a quick hug.

"Hi." Prim grinned, her smile identical to Katniss'. "I'm heading out with Rory. I'm going to have dinner at the Hawthornes' since Mom's working late. She said she was going to pull a double shift at the hospital."

"Oh."

Prim gently patted Katniss' arm. "That's a good thing, Kat." She nodded at Peeta and headed down the hill.

"Okay, um..." Katniss chuckled awkwardly. "Um, are you hungry?"

"Oh, uh..." Peeta let his eyes travel down her body, "in more ways than one."

She blushed. "I was thinking more like going to the restaurant I work at and getting some sandwiches and we can eat them outside at my favorite spot. That is, if you're up for a quiet afternoon."

He reached out to touch her braid. "Is that what you want to do?"

Katniss nodded, allowing a small smile to escape. "Yeah. Yeah, I think it'll be fun." She ran back to the porch and grabbed her purse. "Can you drive?"

"Yeah, yeah of course."

She swallowed, their arms lightly touching as they walked over to the car. Katniss exhaled, trying to calm her heartbeat as she slid in. Peeta grunted, biting his lip as he started it up. "Are you ready?" he asked, nervousness causing his voice to crack.

"Yeah." Katniss sighed, smiling as Peeta covered her hand with his. "Very."

* * *

Peeta grabbed his cane, shutting the car door with his hip. Katniss was carrying their small bag of food as they walked out to the beginning of a meadow.

"Are you going to need that?" she asked, nodding at the cane.

"I don't know. I mean, my hip has been doing much better. It just depends on how much walking we have to do."

"Oh, we don't have far at all." Katniss pointed to the pond that rest in the middle of the hill. "What do you want to do? Swim or eat?"

"Oh." Peeta winced. "I'm not a good swimmer."

"We can eat." Katniss smiled as they settled down on the grass. "Here," she handed him his sandwich. "It is hot though."

"It's summer," Peeta replied, "it's Virginia. What do you expect?"

"Yeah." She took a bite of her sandwich and rummaged through her purse. "I did get something though. Um..." Katniss pulled out a cell phone. "I got this. I saved up enough money from working at the Hob, and since I have my work study this coming year I'll have enough to pay for it."

Peeta grinned. "I should put my number in it."

Katniss blushed. "I already added you in there. It's not a fancy phone, but at least it works."

"Good. Because sometimes the e-mail isn't enough," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, sometimes at night I would lie in bed and think about you, and I wanted to tell you."

"Like what?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"Like..." Peeta gazed at her breasts, her nipples straining through her tank top. "All sorts of things. Those tank tops you wore when we skyped didn't help the situation."

Katniss smiled. "Well, you were shirtless for some of those. That didn't help me either." She laughed. "At least my scholarship money can afford me a laptop with high quality video."

"It's not the same as seeing you in person," he added. "Sometimes I wished that I could just go through the computer screen and..."

She nodded. "Yeah. Did you really get a room at the inn?"

"Yes, because I was hoping that you could stay with me," Peeta replied, his voice husky.

Her cheeks pinked. "I got the rest of the weekend off from work. Haymitch said that I deserved a break. Actually, he'll probably pay me anyways. He's been our neighbor for, oh god knows how long, and he's always been there for us." She chuckled. "He even got Prim a goat that he keeps at his house. I think he likes it when she visits." Katniss wiped her hands on her shorts. "Do you want to swim now?"

"Mmm, isn't it dangerous? I mean, what about the whole not swimming for an hour after eating thing? I mean, moms have been saying it for years."

Katniss laughed. "Oh, no. Gale and I have been doing it for years here. I mean, we would bring food and then go swimming. We did it all the time."

Peeta's face fell at the mention of Gale. "Oh."

"I mean, not that we've been here recently," she stuttered. "I mean, I haven't been out here with him since the fall. Almost a year."

"Oh," he sighed out in relief. "I still can't swim that well. I mean, that was before I lost my leg and with only one leg now, my swimming has-"

"I don't care about your leg," Katniss said quickly. "I mean, I don't care that you only have one full leg." She stood up, unsnapping her shorts and stripped down to her bra and underwear. Her face was flushed, and she could feel Peeta's eyes on her as she headed into the water.

Peeta pulled off his shirt, and hobbled behind her.

"Oh, I didn't realize how dark your chest hair was," she blurted out.

He glanced down. "Do you mind it?"

"No, I...I rather like it." Katniss started to swim around, watching as he undid his pants. Peeta bent down, and unsnapped the prosthetic, letting it fall to the grass before he inched his way into the water.

She smiled and moved over to meet him. Katniss wrapped her arms around him, and they both whimpered as they started to kiss. Peeta tightened his hold on her, his cock twitching as she pressed her wet bra against his bare chest.

"I want to do this all day and night," he whispered. He moaned as she started to nip gently along his jawline.

"Just kiss?" she asked softly.

"Oh, god no," he muttered. Peeta closed his eyes as he felt her fingers ghost over his nipples. "I want to do everything that I thought about in my bed, in the shower, while at work...oh, god, and on the drive here. I want to do everything to your body."

Katniss ran her hands down his back. "How come you never told me about any of this?"

He laughed roughly. "What? Tell you what my cock wanted to do? About what your breasts looked like? About all those nights I spent jerking off over and over to thoughts of you?"

"Really?" Katniss squeaked.

Peeta's normally bright blue eyes darkened as he gazed at her. "Really."

She wrapped her legs around his waist and forcefully kissed him, her tongue twisting with his. "Yes," she whispered, "tell me all of it."

"Tonight," he hissed, placing a kiss on her neck. "I'll tell you tonight."

* * *

Peeta unlocked the door, and held it open so Katniss could walk in. A queen sized bed decked with a white and blue comforter was set in the middle of the room. There were two dark wooden dressers, and a gold framed mirror that framed the only free wall. The bathroom was in the corner, and a large window opened over a balcony.

"It's beautiful," she murmured.

"I thought you would like it." Peeta shut the door. "I...I looked up some of the different rooms online and this one has a jacuzzi tub and I thought..." He licked his lips. "I don't know."

"I forgot to bring some clothes, and...I don't have a toothbrush," Katniss made a face.

"You can use my toothbrush," Peeta offered.

She laughed, laying her purse down on the floor before sitting on the bed. It was dark outside, and Katniss could barely make out the moon through the window. The bed creaked as Peeta lay next to her.

"Do you want to go to the Fourth of July celebrations tomorrow night? I mean, it's nothing like what Charlottesville does I'm sure but Panem has a little something," Katniss said.

He smiled. "That could be fun." Peeta's eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot to give you these!" He scampered off the bed, and grabbed a small bag from his suitcase. "I didn't forget your favorites."

Katniss slowly opened the bag, grinning when she saw the cheese buns inside. "I've missed these." She took a small bite. "Really have missed these."

"I missed you." Peeta licked his lips, and leaned over her. The bag fell next to the dresser as they frantically touched and kissed; their hands roaming over every available inch of skin. "Oh, god I want you," he hissed.

She arched her back, giving him access to her neck and the curve of her breasts. "I want you," she muttered. Katniss gasped as he licked between the valley of her chest. She struggled to pull the straps of her tank top down. "I wanted you all those times we talked."

"Oh, god," he sighed.

Katniss slid off the bed, struggling to undo her shorts. Peeta quickly divested himself of his clothes, and grabbed a condom from his wallet. His erection sprung free, and he moaned as he stroked it, watching as she unsnapped her bra.

"Wow," Peeta choked out.

Katniss blushed, awkwardly patting her hair as she got back on the bed. "Really?" she asked softly.

"You have no idea." He hastened to slide the condom on, his hip aching as he ran back to the bed. "You have no idea how good you look."

She didn't say anything. She pulled him closer to her, her legs opening to give him access. Their lips met, and Katniss could feel his heart thumping loudly as his chest rest against hers.

Peeta braced himself, linking his arms under her. He shut his eyes, and let out a strangled moan as he pushed in. Katniss whimpered, panting as she felt him stretch her walls out.

"Oh, fuck...oh, Katniss. Oh, baby...you're so tight," Peeta whispered.

"Is that good?" she asked.

"Oh, god. Oh, fucking god you have no idea." They both let out a high pitched moan as he started to move. "You're so hot, so fucking hot inside. So wet. So...so tight." He grunted, thrusting deeper inside. "Oh, shit. Oh...god."

"What? What is it?"

"I can't last that long. Baby, you have no idea...I have dreamed about this for so long. I thought about it the night I met you. I wanted you the night I met you." Peeta whimpered.

"You...you did?" she panted.

"Oh, god yes. I wanted to take you home, suck your nipples all night."

"What?" Katniss arched her back. "Why? I mean, I've never had that-"

He paused. "You've never had anybody do that before? They need to be." His eyes darkened as he focused on her breasts. "You need to be touched everywhere. You need to be tasted." Peeta groaned, speeding up his movements. "You must taste so good. I know you taste so good."

"Peeta..." she whispered.

"Ohhhh, fucccccck!" he screamed as he stilled. Katniss felt him jerk, and he cried out, muttering "fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh, god."

Katniss grunted as he collapsed on top of her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I knew I couldn't last that long. You have the tightest pussy..." Peeta chuckled. He kissed her. "Oh, wow." He moaned as he pulled out, and she watched as he removed the condom before heading into the bathroom.

"Um...was it good?" Katniss asked, her voice small.

"Good? Oh, god. That was amazing." Peeta walked back over to her, wrapping his arms around her as he lay next to her on the bed. "Amazing." He pressed a kiss on her shoulder. His voice turned serious as he looked up at her. "Stay with me tonight. Please."

She nodded silently, snuggling deeper against his chest. "If you're sure," she whispered.

"I want you to stay with me always."

* * *

**Author's Note: I planned on getting the whole chapter out tonight but it's a monster one and I wanted to give you guys something, so I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought and I'm going to try to get the rest of it out tomorrow for you. Thank you everybody for all the follows, favorites, everything!**


	5. Chapter 5

The Girl with the Braids in her Hair

Sophomore Year: Summer Pt. 2

Peeta threaded his fingers through Katniss', giving her a small smile. Her face was illuminated by the fireworks, and she grinned, twisting her free hand around her braid.

Prim was behind them, sitting on a big blanket with Hazelle, Rory and the rest of Gale's siblings. She glanced down at them, and rolled her eyes, smirking as she watched Peeta lean over to kiss her sister.

Katniss blushed, giving Peeta's hand a squeeze before turning her attention back to the fireworks.

"This was a good idea," Peeta whispered.

"Oh?" Katniss turned to him. "You like the fireworks? Aren't they pretty?"

"I like lying here outside on the blanket with you," he replied.

She stared at him. "You don't have to say stuff like that you know."

"I..." Peeta furrowed his brow. "I don't understand. I _do_ like lying here outside on the blanket with you. I want to do some other things outside here with you." He drew her hand up, placing a light kiss on it. "Katniss?"

"Yeah?"

"Are...are you okay?" he asked, uncertainly.

"Yeah." She bobbed her head up and down quickly, and looked at the sky. "Of course I am."

Peeta hesitated, clamping his jaw shut before nodding. "Okay. Just checking."

The sky lit up, red white and blue flashed across as everybody started to clap and cheer. Katniss let go of Peeta's hand, joining in.

Peeta blinked as the outdoor lights on the football field clicked on, and he waited as people started to pack up. "Are you coming back with me tonight?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh." Katniss looked around. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, I probably should go home and be with Prim since Mom is working late again."

"Oh." His shoulders slumped. "I thought...well, I mean I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I mean, I probably won't be able to come back till next month."

"Well, I could...I can meet you for breakfast. I just shouldn't leave Prim alone again," she stammered.

"Right." He pinched his nose. "Okay..."

"I'm glad that you came tonight. I mean that we spent the day together," Katniss said quickly.

"I..."

"I'll see you in the morning like...eight?" She reached over, giving him a kiss before running behind her sister.

"What? Katniss? Katniss!" Peeta exclaimed, and threw his arms up in frustration. "What the fuck...?"

Prim glanced back. "Why aren't you going back with Peeta? I thought you said he was leaving in the morning."

"He is." Katniss gave her sister a hug. "I'll meet him for breakfast before he leaves. I just...I wanted to spend time with you, little duck."

"He can come back with us. I mean, Mom's not going to be in till morning anyways."

"No, no." Katniss smiled. "No, I'll see him in the morning. We can watch a movie tonight."

"Okay..." Prim scrunched up nose, shaking her head slightly as they followed the Hawthornes' back to the car.

* * *

Peeta rubbed his thumb over the keyboard on his cell phone. Katniss' name flashed. He groaned, his heart racing as he typed out a few words only to erase them.

The Food Network was playing on the television in the background, but Peeta was barely paying any attention. He lifted his head up as he heard a knock on his door.

"Oh, shit, umm..." Peeta looked down to where his prosthetic was waiting by the bed. "Hold on!" he called out. He swung his legs over the bed, and quickly snapped it back into place. "Shit." He reached down to button up the fly on his boxers, not bothering to put a shirt on before he slowly toddled over.

"Katniss," he murmured.

Her hair was wet from the sudden shower that started a couple of hours after the fireworks ended, her tank top soaked through. "Um..."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I missed you. I took Hazelle's car over here because...well, I think I was starting to annoy Prim because I kept talking about you," she said quietly.

He shook his head, opening the door further. "Come in."

"Thanks." Katniss shrugged her purse off her shoulder. "I..."

"What's going on here, Katniss?"

"Um...I kept thinking about last night, and um...everything we did," she started to say.

"Right." Peeta sat down on the bed. "I liked it. Didn't you?"

"It was always quick with Gale," she blurted out.

His head shot up, and he stared at her. "What?" he asked sharply.

"With Gale. When he and I would have sex, it would always be quick, you know? I...I always thought that...well every time I had sex with him that it would be longer and-"

"Oh, god." Peeta's eyes widened. "Katniss, it was only so quick that time because it felt so good, and it was our first time together, and I never-"

"Gale used to take these girls out to the slag heap," she pushed on. "You know, he saved Sundays and hunting for me, but he would fuck these girls there, and I was kind of jealous, you know?"

"What? Slag heap? What are you talking about?!" he exclaimed.

"It's just this place. Most of the girls there were called Seam sluts, you know? And...I was waiting for him to notice me in a different way, because I thought once he did that...I would be different than the girls he took there." Katniss sniffed. "I thought once we started having sex in college that it would be different, that something would be different. But, every time was quick, you know? And sometimes when I went to visit him at Tech we would do it, and then I would sleep on the couch."

"Oh, god. Katniss..." Peeta walked over, and drew her into his arms. "It's different with us."

"How do I know?"

"I'm not Gale," he said softly. "Do you want me to be Gale?"

"No. No, of course not." Katniss rubbed at her eyes. "Do you remember your first time?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Does she still mean something to you now?"

"Delly? No, I mean, we're friends...well, kind of. She goes to VCU and I see her on the holidays, but-"

"Did she ever mean anything to you?" Katniss asked.

Peeta shut his eyes. "I mean, we were just friends and it became something more the last year of high school, and then I had my accident and...she was there for me."

"See, that's what-"

"I'm not that person, Katniss!" he hissed. "I'm not...I really like you. I know, last night wasn't as great as it could've been. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was amazing just being inside of you, but...fuck yeah, I wanted it to last longer. I wanted to do things to you, get you off."

Katniss blushed. "You did?"

"Yes! I wanted to touch you, lick you up, and I should've. I wanted to hear you scream."

"I don't...I mean," she stuttered.

"What?" Peeta cocked his head to the side. "You've never...what? Have you ever come before?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know. I'm not sure."

"Oh...shit. Oh, oh, you would know."

"Are you an expert at giving girls orgasms or something?" she smiled, looking down.

Peeta chuckled weakly. "I don't know. I'm not sure. I hope you like what I can do, um, not that I've done a lot."

"You haven't?"

He shook his head. "No. I really haven't." Peeta gently stroked her shoulder. "I'm glad you came here tonight," he whispered.

"Me too." Katniss kicked her sandals off, and moved to kiss him. "I want to. Do you?"

"Heh. Um, I don't know how you can even ask that." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Stay here."

"Okay." She watched as he headed over to the bathroom, and she quickly moved to divest herself of the rest of her clothing. She swallowed nervously, and clambered onto the bed, tapping her fingers nervously against the blanket.

"I wanted to get..." Peeta trailed off, the condom wrapper nearly falling out of his hand. "Oh, fuck."

"What?"

"You look..." he exhaled. "Oh, fuck you look hot. I want you in my bed all the time."

"Oh." Katniss smiled, her cheeks turning pink. "I don't know if that's possible."

"I know. I kind of want to take a picture of you like this, so I can have it to jerk off to every night that I don't see you."

She giggled. "I don't think that's the best idea."

"No." He tore the package open, his hands shaking as he struggled to slide the condom on. "I can't even think right now. At least not with my brain." Peeta scooted up till he was positioned in between her legs. "We should do something first. I hope you like it."

"Peeta..."

"Let me. Let me make you feel good," he said, his voice husky. He bent down, spreading her legs open further. He inhaled, his tongue licking alongside her folds.

Katniss squeaked. She started to clamp her legs shut when Peeta stopped.

"Relax," he murmured.

He removed one of his hands from her thighs, and began to rub his thumb around, searching for the small bud. She was wet; slick as he continued to run his tongue over every inch.

His thumb pressed down, and Katniss inhaled sharply. Her hips inadvertently bucked up, and she whimpered as she felt a small fire start to build. He smiled. "Found it," he whispered, his breath hot on her skin.

He pressed again, his thumb rubbing in circular, agonizing strokes. Peeta let go of her other thigh, and snaked his hand up to her right nipple. He pinched lightly, flicking the center as he heard Katniss start to pant.

Peeta cocked his head to the side, his eyes widening as he caught a glimpse of them in the mirror. Katniss was writhing with every lick, flick and rub he gave her. "Katniss, Katniss look..." he murmured.

"What?" she whispered.

"Turn your head to the side. Watch," he commanded. "You look so hot."

"No, I don't, I can't..."

Peeta looked again. Her abs flexed, tightening as he gave her one more lick. "I want you to." He deftly pinched her nipple. "I'm going to watch you."

Katniss moaned, her legs loosening as she let them drop down. She turned to the side, her eyes opening as she glanced at the mirror. Peeta's blonde head was bobbing in between her thighs, and she could make out his tongue sliding around as he kept one eye on them.

"Oh, fuck," she whimpered.

Her stomach clenched, and she bucked. Peeta pushed his thumb down one more time, and she screamed, seeing nothing but white behind her eyes. "Yes, c'mon, c'mon baby," he muttered. He watched her mouth open, her fingers grip the blanket.

"Oh...my god," she moaned.

"Oh, god I want you," he growled. "You sounded amazing. You looked..." he shook his head.

Katniss panted. "You do?"

"I want to take you all night. I want to make you scream all night, and I want to taste you again." Peeta slid up, nudging her mouth open for a kiss. "That's you on me."

"Oh, I don't know," Katniss flushed.

"I love it," Peeta hissed, shutting his eyes as the tip of his cock rest against her center. "I loved watching you. I want you." He knelt his head down to suck at her breasts. "I love your tits."

Katniss reached behind him, pulling him forward. "Oh, god," she squeaked as she felt him inch in. The heat started to build again as he moved, each stroke hitting her in the same place. "Oh, fuck."

"Is it good? Are you okay?" he asked.

"What you're doing..." she whimpered. "You did before, and oh...oh, god."

"Good?"

She nodded furiously. "Really good."

He smiled, and watched through the mirror. Katniss' legs were long and lean, and her toes pointed, lifting off the bed as he quickened his pace.

She turned her head, focusing on Peeta. His arm muscles quivered, pulsing with every move. His face was turning red as he struggled to hold back again.

"Do it. I want you to," Katniss said, palming his cheeks. "I want you to."

He shook his head. "I want to last longer for you." Sweat dripped off his forehead as her heat threatened to take him over the edge.

"I want to hear you." She bit her lip shyly before plunging forward. "I think I would like it if I heard you scream my name."

"Oh, god," he drew out, shaking. His balls tightened, and he thrust in one more time. He squeezed his eyes shut. "KATNISS!" he screamed, his voice becoming high pitched. Peeta fell forward, nestling against her. "That was perfect. Perfect. Perfect." He looked up at her. "You're staying here tonight, right?"

She nodded, her heartbeat slowing as she moved her fingers through his hair, unable to speak.

"Good." He sighed out in relief. "I was kind of afraid to ask. I keep thinking if I go to sleep I'll find it's all been a dream. This is real, right?"

She smoothed out the small waves that were forming in his hair. "Real."

* * *

**A/N: Wow, and the follows keep coming! I hope you guys are enjoying this and this chapter makes things better for those who were upset that Peeta didn't um...make Katniss happy in the last one. More fun times to come..I think...let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

The Girl with the Braids in her Hair

Sophomore Year: Autumn Pt 1

Katniss leaned over, tucking the corners of the flat sheet under the mattress. They were white flannel with small red snowflakes. She smiled, the edge of her braid falling momentarily in front of her face as she reached down to pick up the quilt.

"I still don't understand why Peeta and I can't share a room," she muttered to her mother who was standing in the doorway. They were in Prim's bedroom; her sister's bed had been stripped of the old sheets as well as the stuffed animals and books that littered the floor.

"Not in my house." Mrs. Everdeen smiled and helped her adjust the quilt. "Now, if Peeta was going to stay at a hotel or someplace, that's your business, but you said that Peeta wanted to stay here with us for Thanksgiving."

"Well, yeah...I mean, of course. I just...I don't understand the difference between me going to stay at a hotel with Peeta as opposed us staying in the same room here."

Mrs. Everdeen narrowed her eyes, giving her daughter a small smile. "This is my house, Katniss," she said softly.

"I know, I just-"

"Peeta's here! He just pulled up!" Prim announced from the bottom of the stairs.

Katniss grinned, flushing red as she finished setting up the thick quilt over the sheets. She hightailed it out, her braid whipping angrily against her back.

Peeta glanced up from the back seat of his car once he heard the front door slam. Katniss shivered momentarily before clambering down the steps to meet him. He turned, the pies steady in his hands as Katniss wrapped her arms around him, bringing him in close for a kiss.

"Careful," he chuckled, his voice husky, "you don't want to have broken pies for Thanksgiving, do you?"

Her eyes widened upon seeing the apple and pumpkin pies stacked in his arms. "You didn't have to do that. I mean, we were planning to make some tonight, I think."

"Ah, no." Peeta gently touched the end of her braid. "My dad and I spent last night baking them. I mean, we had a bunch of orders, but...we wanted to make sure y'all got something good."

"Oh, well..." Katniss' heart raced as their eyes met. "I'll take them in for you."

"Oh, yeah...yeah that'll be great." He carefully handed them over to her before opening his car door again to get his overnight bag and cane.

"You're staying in Prim's room," she blurted out.

"Yeah...I...I figured it would be something like that," he murmured following her up the porch steps.

"Yeah." Katniss held the pies up. "Mom! Peeta brought two pies from his family's bakery for us!"

"Oh!" Mrs. Everdeen flushed as she walked through the kitchen to take them from Katniss. "Thank you, Peeta. You and your family didn't have to do that."

"It was no problem, Mrs. Everdeen. Dad took extra care with them."

"Oh." Mrs. Everdeen gently placed them onto the kitchen counter. "Mellark," she whispered, tracing the bakery name that was inscribed on the box. "I knew a baker name Mellark when I was younger," she said softly.

"What?" Katniss furrowed her brow. "Mom, what..."

"What?" Her mother shook her head, and stuttered, "Nothing. Nothing. Oh, Peeta, oh I'm so sorry that we haven't gotten that much cleaned today. I was at work and-"

"Oh, no." Peeta smiled, and eyed Katniss. "I'm glad to be here. Thank you for having me."

"Oh, you're welcome." Mrs. Everdeen smiled. "You'll be staying in Prim's room as I'm sure Katniss has told you."

"All the girly stuff has been taken out," Prim announced, "but..._don't_ go through my drawers."

"Ah, no," Peeta chuckled. "No, no worries there."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Peeta. I'll show you the room so you can put your bag away." Peeta nodded and smiled at Mrs. Everdeen and Prim before following Katniss up the stairs.

Prim's room was next to Katniss' and across the hall from her mother's and the one bathroom. Katniss waited till Peeta walked in before shutting the door behind them. She strode over, knocking Peeta down to the bed and kissed him.

He moaned, dropping his bag and cane without thought as he quickly opened his mouth, sighing out as their tongues merged. "I missed you," he hissed, running his hands over her back. "I've missed you for weeks with midterms, and then break..."

"I know," Katniss muttered, tangling her fingers in his hair. "I need you."

"I need you too." Peeta opened his eyes, and he groaned. "I'm going to hate being one room away from you. You have no idea how much I've missed sleeping with you at night. I just want to be in bed with you for hours and touch you all over."

"Yeah, and I'm going to be sleeping with Prim who isn't exactly the best sleeper. My bed is going to be squished." She smiled. "I am a bit surprised that you're spending Thanksgiving here. I mean, don't you want to be with your own family?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I mean, except for my dad, I don't really like having family get togethers. My mom...she's hard to be with."

"What do you mean?"

Peeta shrugged. "She's unhappy. She's..." he licked his lips, "I don't know. My brothers don't exactly love spending time with her either, and my dad puts up a good front because he wants his family to be together. I just...I want to be somewhere with someone I actually want to spent time with."

"Oh." Katniss bit her lower lip. "Have you seen Gale around the campus?"

"Once or twice. I mean, Tech is a pretty damn big campus. We don't talk though."

"You do know that he's going to be here tomorrow. I mean, our families have always spent Thanksgiving together, Christmas together."

Peeta hesitated. "Are the two of you...okay?"

Katniss shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I've spent some time with him, but I don't think anything will ever be the way it used to before...you know."

"Do your parents know that the two of you..." he trailed off.

"I don't think so. I mean, I think we hid it pretty well, and besides we were in school when most of it happened so..."

"Mmm." Peeta reached over and drew her closer, eagerly kissing her again. "You taste so good," he growled. "I don't want to stop."

"Me neither," she panted.

He chuckled. "We have to. What's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Oh, um, cooking the turkey, getting everything ready really, oh! I forgot to tell you! Haymitch will be coming too, and he has this new girlfriend Effie that he's bringing!" Katniss laughed. "We're all in shock!"

"What's she like?"

"I don't know. I mean, from what Haymitch has told us she's all fancy, proper and stuff. We'll probably scare her a bit."

"And tonight?" Peeta stroked her cheek. "What are we doing tonight?"

"I'm going to try to sneak in here," she whispered.

"Then I won't be able to sleep, because I'll just be waiting for you," he replied. "Not that I sleep well without you anyways. You've spoiled me."

"Oh, have I?" Katniss gently kissed him. "I don't sleep well without you either." She slid over till she was on top of him, smiling to herself as she felt his obvious erection press against her thigh.

Peeta gasped, letting out a moan as she began to slowly grind her hips on him.

"Katniss!" Prim shouted from the door.

They both blushed, and Katniss groaned. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I thought y'all would like to know that we're going to head out to the movies now," Prim faltered. "I mean...god! That's my bed!"

"Ugh." Katniss waited till she heard Prim's footsteps on the stairs. "Guess we need to be all proper now."

"Ohhhh, I'd rather not," Peeta mumbled.

* * *

Katniss turned to her side, her eyes boring holes into her cell phone which rest on the bedside table. Prim muttered something in her sleep, and yanked the covers further over her shoulders.

Katniss grabbed the phone, carefully turning the screen on.

_Are you awake? _

It was a quick second before he texted back, _Yes_.

She smiled, placing the phone back on the table. She gave one last glimpse towards Prim and slowly tiptoed out, careful not to step on any of the creaky sections of the floorboards. She shut the door behind her and looked up at her mother's room. The door was closed and there were no lights on.

Katniss winced as the door creaked behind her and she ran over, jumping next to Peeta in the bed. "I'm cold," she whispered.

"It's November," he pointed out, lifting the covers up.

Her eyes widened and she giggled once she noticed that he was naked. His prosthetic had been removed and was resting against the dresser. "Why are you naked?" she asked.

"Um...well, I...I was hoping that you would come in here."

She shook her head, and grinned, snuggling up next to him. "I was thinking about something." Katniss traced her fingers on his chest. "I was wondering about Delly."

"Delly?" Peeta glanced at her. "Why would you be thinking about her? Where did that come from?"

Katniss shrugged. "I don't know. I mean...she was your first, right?"

"Well, yeah, back in high school."

"Were you nervous? I mean, that first time with her?" she asked.

"Not as nervous as my first time with you," he quickly replied.

Katniss rest her head on his chest. "Do you still speak to her?"

"Um, well I mean, online a couple of times. A text here and there, and I've seen her in Richmond once or twice and had dinner-"

"Oh." Katniss' eyes gazed downwards.

"Kat...it's like you and Gale, you know? I've literally known Delly my whole life-"

"Oh."

He sighed. "I wish you could spend the whole night in here." Peeta chuckled weakly. "You've only been in here for a few minutes and I'm all..." he gestured down towards his groin.

She smiled. "I like that." Katniss maneuvered downwards , kissing her way down his stomach till her mouth stopped over the tip of his erection. "And I like this."

Peeta's breath hitched. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? It has been a while." She sighed and licked along the length.

"Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, Katniss."

Keeping one hand on his shaft, she began to pump as she took him in her mouth, hollowing her cheeks out to make room.

"Oh, fuck." Peeta stared at her for a minute, his eyes darkening as he watched her head bob up and down, her tongue slowly running over every available inch. He let out a whimper, quickly clamping one of his hands over his mouth , and used the other one to fist her hair.

His hips bucked up as she reached one hand down to cup at his balls, gently squeezing them between her fingers. Katniss sighed, releasing him from her mouth before she started to lick and suck greedily at the tip. She was about to take him in again when they heard footsteps in the hall.

Peeta's eyes widened and he grunted as she let him fall out.

"Shit," she muttered. "Shit, I should probably..."

He sighed. "I need you." Peeta sat up, sliding his hand down her sleep bottoms until they reached her cotton panties. Katniss whimpered softly as he slid a finger in, and watched as he removed it, bringing it up to his mouth.

Peeta almost growled as he sucked it, reveling in the taste. "Guess that'll have to do for now."

* * *

**A/N: I meant to get this whole thing done tonight but I'm exhausted, but still wanted to give you guys a little something. More coming soon! Hope you enjoy this little bit and let me know what you think!**


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